The Rise of Otonokizaka
by Umi Kousaka
Summary: (Crossposted from AO3) Torn between love and duty, Umi, the heiress to the Kingdom of Otonokizaka is forced to wed the prince of a powerful neighbor to build an alliance. Will she be trapped into a loveless marriage or will she be able to pursue her one true love Honoka?
1. The Clock Starts to Tick

Chapter 1  
The Clock Starts to Tick

As the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Otonokizaka, Umi Sonoda was strictly trained in the arts of war and government, mastering both sword and pen in the various fields in which she had to apply them. Yet this great woman took little regard to her talent as she grew up, preferring instead to tend to her books and turn her energies toward music and dance. In these she was aided by her childhood friends Honoka Kousaka and Kotori Minami, once playmates of hers and now commanders serving under her.

This was to the great consternation of the Queen Regent, Eli Ayase, who can only see a girl shirking away from her responsibility to rule and protect the country, especially now that it had many enemies in all directions. Otonokizaka had once been mighty, forming part of the Empire of Musashi, when spears and bows and arrows still ruled the battlefield. But as with many empires, a string of incompetent rulers and bad decisions led to its downfall. The queen regent sought to prevent this fate from happening to the kingdom, and joined by her consort Nozomi Tojo and the legendary general Nico Yazawa strengthened the state through diplomacy and warfare, eventually gaining it a reputation for its formidable army. But despite this, she knew that Otonokizaka was still at the mercy of its much more powerful neighbor, the Empire of Tokei, with only the saving grace that it was still too shaken by the death of its previous king - too weak to launch a conflict. Thus she sought alliances to strengthen the country, seeking to marry the heiress off. Eli's ever increasing offers of marriage partners to Umi however, who had come to reserve her affections for Honoka alone as she grew up, only annoyed her to no end.

~x~

"Umi, where have you been? You should have already met up with my candidates at the courtyard hours ago!"

Wishing to avoid further angering the regent, Umi showed herself to Eli.

"Were you at the orchestra with Honoka and Kotori again?"

Umi could only nod silently to this question, fearing the queen regent's wrath to the fact the heiress once more had avoided her teachers. Instead, Eli only walked up to her and broke the flute Umi held in half. Angered by this, Umi attempted to land a punch on Eli only to be easily stopped and punched in return.

"You're the heiress to this throne. Soon to be ruler of this land. You're too old to be merely playing with your instruments and yet here you are, acting like a spoiled brat, selfish enough to risk this country's death for some time with your friends!"

"Do you not respect anything at all about me, Eli? How I feel? What I choose to do? Who I become friends with? Who I really care about? Do you only care that I be partnered off with some stranger and become a queen?"

"Yes, the safety of the kingdom is the only thing that matters and if you have become the wife to some man, then so be it!"

"But I can do on my own just fine! You have seen my great abilities in governing and protecting our kingdom."

"You fool! Do you think that our enemies will stay weak for so long? Even now as we speak, the Tokei heiress Kira Tsubasa is making her own preparations to search for a husband as she ascends to the throne. Who knows if they're already amassing an army against us?"

"If ascending to the throne entails any marriage like that, then I'd rather not be queen at all!"

"That was never your choice to begin with. As royalty, your life does not only revolve around you but also that of your subjects. Regardless of your actual talents, skills, and desires, you, as the future queen of this land would be accountable for the lives of these people. And yet you would choose to let them die and throw away their lives meaninglessly?"

"Of course not! I merely want to be free to make my own decisions. I want to marry Honoka, not some stranger I don't even know a single thing about!"

"That freedom too, is something you sacrificed when you took up this role."

"Can't you then respect Honoka as a candidate for her own merits? She has shown herself as a fine warrior and commander. Did she not lead the charge that saved you in that battle back then? Or are you still bitter about your consort and general both dying there in vain?"

A slap came from Eli, but Umi did not respond with one of her own, understanding that she brought a painful memory for the regent. After helping Eli dry her tears, she instead tried to reason with Eli only to be rebuffed.

"Marrying one of our own, even someone as skilled and talented as Honoka is, will not win us new friends to confront the Tokei."

"We can do with our own forces just fine! Have not your exploits proved that?"

"Even only looking from a numerical perspective, Tokei's army alone outnumbers us four to one, and then adding their vassals' forces and their navy to that. Try as we might, our skills alone will not be enough to defend this kingdom."

"They can be."

"Heh. Tell that to Nozomi's grave. You sure as hell were not the only one who naively hoped that skill and talent alone can ward off our enemies." Eli once more reminisced the desperate moments of that battle years ago, trying to get her beloved to safety but ultimately failing. Her general, Nico, had given her life in that combat for Eli to get to Nozomi, but only in vain. For all her skill in diplomacy and discerning the future, a mere stray bullet would end Nozomi's life.

"Numbers alone do not confer any advantage, Eli. You yourself taught me that. Furthermore, our lack of any coast or harbors to blockade renders their navy useless in any conflict with us."

"That still leaves them too powerful for us! We need an ally, by marriage if need be, to balance their power. You must comply!"

"I will not!"

"I will have you meet candidate of our ally, the Hitachi, tomorrow and you will marry him!"

"I will only marry Honoka!"

"You will not destroy what I took my entire life to build!"

Umi then walked away from Eli, giving both of them time to be on their own for a while.

~x~

Honoka and Kotori could only wince as Umi and Eli argued once more over the fate of Otonokizaka. They thought Eli's arguments sensible but still wished for Umi to have her freedom. Having gained the same education as the heiress only let them see the benefits of such an alliance, and yet as childhood friends both knew their loyalty and likely more was to Umi first, not Otonokizaka.

Perhaps more selfishly, Honoka's heart ached. She did not wish for Umi to be wed off to some man, having fallen hard for her since childhood. Umi's earlier declaration did not help her blush and Kotori only teased her for it. Kotori even joked that she would even make them their dresses and be the one to make them say their vows. This brought a sense of relief to Honoka, who worried of Kotori's lingering feelings for the future queen. Still, as the hours passed, and day turned into night, the impending marriage with the Hitachi loomed over Honoka, and in both her sadness and desperation she hatched a plan to abscond with Umi to a far off land. This plan however, would unknowingly change the course of Otonokizaka's history, launching it to a period of insurmountable danger with equally great potential for both its rise and downfall.


	2. The Clock Ticks Forth, Part I

Chapter 2  
The Clock Ticks Forth, Part I

"Run away with me!"

Honoka's statement left Umi stunned for a few seconds, only for her to laugh at her very flustered partner.

"Honoka, you do know that with all these prospects of marriage I'm facing to save our kingdom, I'm the one who should be saying that, right?"

"I know, Umi-chan, but…"

"I think I understand. So then my brave and gallant prince, what adventure shall we set off on this grand moonlit evening? Shall we once more join the royal hunt in the nearby forest, or do you perhaps wish to wander off into town with just the two of us…"

Umi kissed Honoka's cheek, leaving the maiden knight completely embarrassed, and then uttered "…or maybe you just really want me tonight?"

"Umi-chan!" Umi giggled at Honoka blushing. It was not often that she got to tease Honoka like this, and she loved it when Honoka was the one with an ever-reddening face. However, Honoka soon composed herself and gave a stern reply.

"As much as I'd like to take you up on that offer, I'm completely serious this time, Umi-chan."

"Honoka…"

"I really want to hold your hand and kiss you so much right now, Umi-chan."

"Then…"

"Well, tomorrow, if all goes according to Eli's plan, you'll be taken away from me forever. You'll be the wife of a powerful and capable husband, and our kingdom will gain a strong ally with which to fend off the Tokei. We'll still be meeting each other for many years after at the royal court even as we go our own ways. But, even with all the sense the plan makes to me in my mind, with all my skills and knowledge and experience, I know in my heart that I desire to be with you. My heart wishes to beat next to yours as we go about from one day to the next. I want to be the one to laugh and smile with you in times of joy and to comfort you in times of sorrow. I want us to be together for the rest of our lives, even if the entire kingdom comes to oppose us for it. I want you to marry me!"

Umi and Honoka passionately kissed, sharing both the saltiness of their tears and the sweetness of their words.

~x~

"The price of failure will be big, if not fatal."

"As it should be obvious. Even with my reputation as the queen regent's savior, my head could easily roll for this if we get caught."

The two then went on to pack supplies that they needed, before the former brought up a forgotten yet very important matter in their escape.

"What about Kotori?"

Honoka could only answer despondently to this question.

"I'm sorry, Umi-chan."

"Are you sure you don't want to bid farewell to her? Leave a memento perhaps?"

"We don't have the luxury of time, Umi-chan. We must leave now."

~x~

Kotori grew more and more saddened as she overheard Honoka and Umi's conversation. She and Umi had first bonded when they were young, before eventually realizing that their affections toward each other only reflected their love for Honoka. They thus broke up and were broken up, with the two choosing to do so in order to properly compete for her affections, and for the queen regent, to start marrying off Umi and gain an ally.

Over the years, she had come to accept her loss to Umi, but it seems that fate now wanted for her to left behind by the two as well, with neither Honoka nor Umi beside her as either a lover or a friend. She understood her desire for them to remain by her side was selfish and can even prove fatal to the two lovers, but what would she have left otherwise? After collecting herself, she made up her mind and went to Eli's bedchamber to tell her of the lovers' plot, while simultaneously planning how to get the queen regent to avoid passing a harsh judgment once they were caught and returned to the capital for trial.

~x~

Eli can only calm herself so much in the face of the demand from the Tokei ambassador with what had been an amicable, if rather costly, meeting attempting to solve the various border disputes between the two kingdoms hours earlier now turning into a direct threat to the very survival of Otonokizaka.

"…I believe that with this tribute, we can now conclude peace within your borders. Our people will no longer launch raids into your lands provided the payments are…faithfully maintained."

"Indeed."

"Very well. One last matter though if I may, Your Highness?"

"Speak."

"If I remember correctly, the heiress of this kingdom, a woman of great reputation and excellence in both letters and arms, has been open to proposals of marriage to neighboring kingdoms, aye?"

Eli could only nod in fear but responded, steeling herself for what the ambassador had in store.

"Indeed."

"As it so happens, my son, a cousin of our queen Kira Tsubasa, hailing from the Toudou clan, has recently come of age, and is now looking for a consort. And here lies the main point of this meeting. We want, nay, demand of you to have the heiress marry him. You shall be given two months to decide."

"Is that it?"

"Indeed, why do you ask?"

"This man would be who exactly? Is there no act of heroism you can speak of him? No arts or arms mastered where you can regale tales of him? Surely as you have said earlier, our heiress has proven to be a great woman. Does she not deserve the best among her possible partners? Or is the son that you speak of merely some drunkard you picked off the street? Even a lowly servant would appear to be a better husband to the heiress!"

"This man, and the marriage that comes with him, would buy you the best for this kingdom, would it not? Peace."

"I might as well have filled a vase of porcelain with dung if that were so, ambassador. These solutions both take care of filthy and troublesome things by corrupting beautiful objects, do they not?"

"Why you!"

Insulted that his son would be mocked to such a degree, the ambassador attempted to lunge at Eli with his sword, but she easily disarmed him and beat him to the ground.

"And you are dismissed."

Composing himself, the ambassador only left a warning for her.

"The two-month time limit shall stand, as will the peace between our two factions, until you either refuse or accept this proposal when the time has passed."

Eli only replied with a glare to him, to which he responded before leaving.

"I suspect you already have your answer, to which we shall have our own response. Nevertheless, that would be delayed until you have given your formal approval or dismissal after the time limit."

Eli immediately went out of the throne room to meet with Umi, but was only greeted with the sight of Kotori in the hallway outside who told her of the lovers' escape.

"Honoka and Umi are gone."

Eli's troubles have just started.


	3. The Clock Ticks Forth, Part II

Chapter 3  
The Clock Ticks Forth, Part II

The short window of time in which the couple made their escape and their plan was revealed would have led any other two people into the hands of Otonokizaka's well-trained and skilled soldiers. But, these two were the heiress and the kingdom's greatest general, who not only had become aware of the every square inch of the kingdom through both their time fooling around as children and exploring the countryside to better its defenses, but were also highly capable warriors in their own right, renowned throughout and beyond Otonokizaka for their martial skills. Therefore, it would not be getting out of the kingdom that would be the lovers' problem, but how to avoid capture whichever country they choose to flee to.

~x~

Kotori knew as much and gave up on any chance of apprehending while they were still within the kingdom, ordering the task force assigned to her by Eli to strengthen the border patrols. Instead she turned her focus towards guessing which kingdom Honoka and Umi had fled off to. She immediately ruled out the north, which after an arduous journey over a series of mountain ranges, would only land the two in one of Otonokizaka's far-flung possessions. The east too was not an option, as these were comprised of the kingdoms which were the most aggressive in sending their suitors out to wed Umi. She did not consider Honoka reckless enough to let Umi get seized there, as the two of them knew that such an error was not just scandalous in itself, but would end up adding weight to the standing of whichever state manages to take her, and eventually manage to force a wedding between their heir and Umi. She now only had the west and the south to consider.

The south, was of course, occupied by their great rivals, the Tokei. This presented the most obvious route to escape, as both countries' hostility toward each other would hamper any attempts to search for the heiress there, if the task force being sent had not already ended up framed as an invasion force, and becoming a cause for war. However, this route also presented the greatest danger to the couple. The capture of a member of royalty along with a high-ranking military official would also be too tempting a prize for the Tokei to not invest any effort in, as success here can end up crippling Otonokizaka economically (who would surely have to pay a great sum of money to ransom the pair), if not diplomatically and militarily (with both the heiress and the country's top general discredited).

Kotori concluded the western route as the route most likely to have been taken by the two. This route went through the Kai of the Yamanashi domain, a vassal of the Tokei, before reaching the Kingdom of Shinano. In itself, Shinano was capable of standing up to either the Tokei or Otonokizaka, and can prove a valuable ally to either one, but it was in perpetual rivalry with both the Hyogo, which formed the stopgap to check Shinano ambitions to extend themselves further west, and the Sakai, a city-state made powerful by its trade. These domains would hence be too distracted to interfere in Otonokizaka's hunt for its heiress. On the other hand, she knew that all three of them knew each other too well for such a simple answer. Moreover, she was familiar with Honoka's characteristic bullheadedness, often known for winning her battles through brute force. She thus considered the two going south, and went over the details once more.

~x~

And yet with all this information available to her, Kotori could only consider how she had messed up. She indeed wanted to keep the two (especially Honoka) beside her, by force if need be, but had not counted on the queen regent's severity in her response.

"So they have both ran away."

"Indeed."

"And so they have neglected their responsibilities."

"Eli?"

"Kotori, I want Umi alive. You are to take her back here to the kingdom."

"And Honoka, Your Highness?"

"If she wants to turn her back on her responsibilities, then so be it. When you find her, make sure she is… permanently relieved from her duties."

"Is she going to be imprisoned?"

Eli then turned towards her, with only a smirk on her face.

"So naïve. I see you still have a soft spot for her. Very well. Bring both of them back here. I'll deal with Honoka myself."

"Eli, please spare…"

"Saving my life does not her grant any special treatment from me. She, above all else, should know that the loss of a general like her has left our kingdom as carrion to the vultures that surround our kingdom. "

"But…"

"You might want to be on your way now. The news of that couple's escape should spread to the other kingdoms soon, and I doubt they'll have any interest in returning them to us safe and sound as much as you do. You might just be able to change my mind given time."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Kotori could do nothing more than to hold back her tears and whisper a prayer hoping for their safety, as she went up to her knights to begin the search for them.

~x~

A few days later at the western border, luck seems to have been with her. As nighttime drew and Kotori and her soldiers prepared to make camp for the night, a scout returned to them with news of having spotted a column of fire rise up from a nearby forest earlier in the day. She set off her lieutenant, Shiga Hitomi, to keep the rear guard in camp in case the discovery turns out to be a fluke.

Leading a vanguard of several knights, Kotori followed the scout to where the fire had been spotted earlier. She wasn't surprised to find the campfire extinguished, but, the smell of the charred wood told her that the two had only left the area hours ago and that she still may be able to catch up with them. Ascending a nearby bluff, she saw it. Another column of fire rose into the air, giving the couple's location away to Kotori. Despite this, she began to have her doubts when she got a better view of the landscape. She saw the fires seem to be moving inland, back to Otonokizaka, instead of to its borders. Were they getting lost? Kotori took a few moments to reminisce in the hopes of an answer coming to her.

~x~

She remembered this area from her childhood as being near one of the royal hunting grounds, with Honoka going off to the forest to join the hunt and both Umi and her having often snuck out here to play when they were young while they waited for their beloved Honoka with stories of how she got their next meal. It was mostly marshland, with a lake surrounding all but a peninsula that seemed to jut out into it. This place had once been a favorite haunt of theirs for years, before the queen regent found out and forbade them from ever going there again.

Eli had then regaled to her and Umi the tale of two star-crossed lovers, whom upon having their relationship revealed chose to fight for their forbidden love. This brought them into conflict with their clans and they were forced to make their last stand there. The couple was defeated, with one of them perishing in the fight, and the other living on, spared by the two families. Yet, though alive, the other could only consider herself gone from this world, with her lover no longer by her side, and eventually fell on her lover's sword on that very spot.

~x~

Regardless of this story, the lake now offered Kotori ground on which to corner and apprehend the two. And then it struck her. By either misfortune or a great mistake, it seemed the two had ended up going into the peninsula, instead of going around the lake. Of course, Kotori thought. The fire was nearer towards her, and thus inland, as the two aimed to reverse their error and move through the lakeshore before it was too late. Immediately Kotori sent orders to all her knights to assemble and intercept the pair before they got away.

Despite having the horses gallop at full speed, getting to the lake proved to be slow and difficult, having to move through hills before being forced into a narrow defile as they arrived at the lake's shoreline. Still, the campfire remained lit as the sun began to rise and Kotori grew optimistic of her chance of bringing them back to the queen regent once and for all. Yet, when she arrived there, the fire was all she found there. She immediately had her soldiers charge towards the end of the peninsula, hoping to find Honoka and Umi once more, only to be stunned by what they found. The waters were coming in rapidly in the ground beneath them. Worse still, the weather turned for the worse as rain had begun to pour in, quickening the rate at which the land was sinking. Left with no other choice lest she let them drown to death, Kotori ordered her soldiers to retreat and reassemble where the former campfire stood.

It was then that she saw them, atop a bluff on the opposite shore of the lake. Then and there, she could not help but be both mad and happy as she realized that the two had utterly outwitted her.

~x~

As the days passed, Honoka and Umi went off contentedly as they traveled through the mountains to the north, using lesser known trails to throw any potential pursuer off their tracks. Not that they needed to do much more, Umi noted, especially considering that Kotori would have been most likely put in charge of the expedition to find them.

Umi did agree with Kotori that Honoka can be rather rash at times and was a leader who can be easily seen as one who would charge headlong into battle, using mere brute force to win. However, she failed to take this behavior into account as a possible tactic or strategy, dismissing it for mere recklessness. In truth, Honoka was capable of proving herself as a crafty commander, if needed, putting on a show of boldness in battle to mislead her opponents from her true intentions.

To put it in the terms of their escape, Honoka had pulled off a trick on Kotori by simply putting on a show of intending to go one way, but actually going another. The fire was deliberately placed behind their camp in the peninsula instead of in front of them to make it appear as if the two were heading away from the lake, instead of towards it. The second part of their ruse involved their very movement into the peninsula. At first glance, this seems to be a move that could only reek of utter stupidity. However, a closer look at the lake reveals that its waters recede and rise several times in a day, and at times becomes shallow enough to form a land bridge between the opposite shores of the lake, turning the peninsula into a natural causeway. It then only became a matter of figuring out when the waters would become shallow enough to allow such a crossing. The fire also served an additional purpose here, blinding the search force after them as they crossed the waters to safety.

Still, one thing bothered Umi. Days before they crossed the lake, she had come upon a sword on the ground. Rusted though it was and even with its gems chipped somewhat, Umi felt like she had seen this sword already. She turned toward Honoka to ask about it, who seemed taken aback at first, only for her to dismiss her line of thinking.

"Doesn't this sword seem familiar, Honoka?"

"It's probably just the legend, Umi-chan."

"What myth?"

"The one Eli told you, Umi-chan, of that person who fell on her lover's sword. I guess the myth was real, eh?"

"So it seems. But still, this sword's design, I definitely feel like its owner is someone I have known.

"Just leave it be, Umi-chan. Those two lovers had already suffered enough in their lifetimes for a love unfulfilled, they do not need someone taking away the last thing that connects them together."

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry too, I was a bit harsh there. I guess I'm just worried about us, what with the weirdly similar situation we share with them."

Umi turned to give Honoka a hug only to hear seemingly offer an apology.

"…ry that I couldn't save her."

"Honoka?"

"It's nothing, Umi-chan!"

"You're crying, you know."

Honoka collapsed into her as she sobbed. Umi soothed her and calmed her down eventually, and heard one last apology before Honoka slept in her arms.

"I'm sorry, Kotori."

~x~

Kotori spent the next few days after the chase ill, and thus was forced to camp near the peninsula to recover her health. She also hoped that the lake's waters would recede enough to allow her group to cross during that time, but it occurred to her that acquiring a path capable of handling a couple hundred knights would obviously be much more difficult than traversing the waters with only two people, and she eventually gave up on the lake. Instead, she chose to head back to the road and start her way towards the northern route.

It was as she began to leave that she saw the same sword that Umi had laid her eyes upon. She too, remembered the weapon as being somehow familiar. Perhaps she had seen it in her earlier days? She did go to the royal garden a lot in her younger days, remembering often finding Eli there alone. It was then that an all too familiar memory played out in her mind once more.

~x~

The past few weeks had greatly bothered the young Kotori, who had only repeatedly found the queen regent alone and downcast, accompanied only with what seemed a gem-studded sword. She wanted to comfort Eli, but at the same time, could only feel out of place in something she did not understand at all (beyond the fact that Eli was unhappy). As much as she wanted to cheer her up, Kotori could only listen in secret to the regent's sorrows.

"I guess I should really let go of you…"

Kotori felt like she would have heard a person's name had she not stumbled in the bushes, but she had already alerted Eli to her presence.

"Kotori, what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, Eli. You just seemed so sad."

"Thank you, Kotori."

"Eli…"

"Hey. We already talked about this, haven't we, my dear? Go to Umi for now. I…really just need time to myself."

"Alright."

"Honoka should have recovered from her injuries by now. You can go to her as well, if you want."

"As you wish, Your Highness."

Kotori rushed to Honoka's side, hoping that having her, Umi, and Honoka together for tonight's banquet might raise Eli's spirits, only to be surprised by Honoka's refusal.

"Honoka-chan, Umi and I are going to the queen's banquet tonight. Care to join us?"

"I'm sorry, Kotori-chan. Eli might just grow angry should I show myself to her."

"No, Honoka-chan. I'm sure Eli-chan won't be that mad over your injuries."

"It's not that, Kotori-chan."

"Then…"

"How would it feel if you couldn't protect the things you hold dearest to yourself despite doing your best?"

"Eh?"

"Oh, don't mind that, I was just talking to myself. Just go ahead with Umi. I'll be at the soldiers' quarters if you need me."

"We're having the banquet in the throne room should you change your mind."

"Sure. Thank you, Kotori-chan."

~x~

It was then that she thought, "Could this sword have been **hers?** "

She might have understood little back then, but now she wanted answers to this and many more questions. A visit to the capital seemed to be in order, and now, with the sword perhaps, she might just be able to figure out the truth behind those days.


	4. The Clock Stops Ticking

Chapter 4  
The Clock Stops Ticking

Knowing that Kotori would now pull her forces to the north, Honoka and Umi made their way to the western border, stopping only once to restock and resupply. They then crossed the border, entering the Duchy of Yamanashi. As they are already aware, the clan of Kai that ruled over this domain were a vassal of the Tokei, so the two had to take extra caution, especially now that the news of their escapade had spread through the land. Yet the couple also knew that this route offered the quickest escape to a country too far from Otonokizaka's diplomatic orbit of either allies or rivals to effectively intervene, and so they went.

~x~

Still, fortune seemed to favor the two of them. They entered the Yamanashi domain peacefully, uninterrupted by any serious attempt from within the duchy to hunt them down. Discontent seemed to be troubling the duchy, derailing any serious attempt at an extensive search.

But they cannot help but be troubled by the sight that was before them. Desolation seemed to haunt every village and town throughout the duchy with even the cities not being spared by the specter of death. Many a hut and house they passed echoed only tears and sobbing, the wails of widows, orphans, and parents whose sons had gone on before them. The hamlet that they were staying in particular, only had men in the form of its elders and the very young. It was thus to their great consternation that they could find no sign of plague, no sweeping sickness that made itself visible amongst the populace to result in such a calamity. Taking pity into their hearts, the two resolved to help the villagers, if not out of pure compassion, then at the very least, out of a sense of responsibility towards their hosts.

"Thank you so much for aiding us", the village elder said.

"No, no, it's only our gratitude for sheltering us." Honoka replied.

"But if I may ask one thing, village elder, and perhaps forgive my ignorance, what exactly is happening here? Where have all the men of age gone to?" Umi put forth.

"They're all with the Tokei armies, each and every one of them. Forced to join under threat of either death or the destruction of their homes. Our duke tries to assure us that complying with their demands ensures our safety, and he somehow manages to avoid the tributes exact too much from our wealth, but even he isn't immune to their abuses. It's quite the rumor round these parts that the each of the duke's garments hides at least a couple of lashes from their whips. It was heard that they even threatened him about his wife recently. I guess you could say that we really are struggling together in this."

"How can you bear to live with this?"

"We have to, and it's not as if we didn't try. Well, technically our forebears. Only ended in a massacre though. That's the time our domain went from an ally to an actual vassal, should you still recall your history lessons. You two do seem the educated type, after all."

"True as it may be, we're both just now scraping together, whether it be here or going somewhere far off.", the couple chorused.

"So you two indeed are from a city!"

The two nodded.

"I suppose I can't disagree with what you've said though. But I'd like to thank you once more, and apologize, for I have a request of great importance."

"Very well." Umi said.

"As you can see, the lack of men of age here leaves all the labor here to be done by the women and us elderly. However, compounding this problem are the bandits that have roamed the countryside for years, raiding villages whenever they want. They've mostly taken our produce every season or so, but they've gotten bolder in recent years demanding Even our vassalage to the Tokei did not stop this, and they're the ones who promised us troops to deal with this threat when our so-called "alliance" began.

"Any idea on where their hideout is?" Honoka asked.

"Honoka, you're not actually suggesting that…"

"Their base lays on a network of caves near the mountain passes to the south, with the mountains themselves bound by a wide river. The defile there is the only way in."

"Not to be doubtful, but how do you know so much about this?" Umi asked.

"My daughter was taken years ago. I tried to rescue her but only barely escaped with my life swimming underneath…"

"That's quite enough, old man… Let's go, Umi-chan"

"But, Honoka, isn't this…"

"Dangerous? Indeed. But that's all the more reason to go, Umi-chan. Those bandits will keep on remaining dangerous unless they are dealt with."

"Thank you so much."

The trek to the mountain passes, and the caves that lay near them, proved to be a struggle, but turned out to be the only troublesome part of the hunt. The bandits proved no match for the warrior duo and were quickly felled one after another. Though successful, the raid turned out to have mixed results, with the successful recovery of much of the community's wealth being coupled with the discovery of a number of corpses of former villagers, including the village elder's daughter.

Still, the mood in the settlement became joyous and the couple were sent off with gifts. They continued their journey westward, gaining a reputation as heroes as they helped one hamlet after another in various ways. Normally, their popularity would be a worrisome part of their plan to escape, but Honoka and Umi knew that even Eli would consider it too great a risk to interfere here.

~x~

However, the two had not accounted for an individual's action to be the one to stop them. The ambassador of the Toudou clan had been humiliated at the hands of the Queen Regent in their previous encounter and thus sought payback. The rumors of the two's heroics soon reached his ears and guessing where they would go, sought to bar them access to Yamanashi's western border.

"We're almost there, aren't we, Umi-chan?"

"Indeed. Looks it'll be smooth sailing after this, Honoka."

"Rather confident of you two to say that, or should I say, heir apparent Umi Sonoda and General Honoka Kousaka?"

"You!"

"Honoka, you know him?"

"He is Shun Toudou. Diplomat of the Tokei to our country…"

"…and soon to be magistrate for the Yamanashi."

"Magistrate?"

"A vassal must obey his liege, whether from one person to another or one domain to the other. It is my job to make sure they fall in line."

"I see."

"Well, this makes it easier for me to make my demands. Surrender now and I'll spare…"

"Honoka, surely this guy must be joking, right?"

"Of course not. I was to say their lives, not yours. I'm soon to be magistrate, remember? I don't doubt that you can kill me and many more of my men, or that you can easily outrun us should you wish to, but for those who remain, well, let's just say that it would be a shame if the whole of Yamanashi were to burn for your rash decision. My men could easily do that, you know."

"As if that alone could present itself as a trouble to us."

"Despite what this situation appears to be, I'm actually thinking of your well-being here. You ought to be aware that I'm not the only one whose been looking for you two. They would actually be far worse to deal with than me right now, if not outright fatal."

The two dropped their weapons and began to raise their arms to surrender.

"A good choice."

~x~

The two could only stew on their thoughts during the long way home. Had it been hubris perhaps to consider themselves capable of both helping people and evading their capture? And yet they cannot deny the gratitude those peoples had felt for them, nor the small gifts that they held as tokens of appreciation. Would it have been the correct decision to perhaps outright hightail it to the west and ignore their suffering? Still, all these questions would be thrown to a corner. It was now time to confront Eli and face her judgment, and the punishment that would certainly come with it as well, that she will dole out in her duty as the Queen Regent of Otonokizaka.


	5. Time's Up!

Chapter 5  
Time's Up!

Honoka steeled herself for Eli's decision. She expected it to be harsh, if not outright fatal, having committed such a grave crime and especially after having it be of great trouble to the kingdom.

~x~

"It's the couple, Your Highness."

"Let them in, Kotori."

Joined by a group of her knights, they presented to the Queen Regent Honoka and Umi bound in shackles.

"So you boot yourselves out of here in a bout of passion, making off like figures from a fairytale, only to land into hot water and be turned back to me. Utterly disgraceful indeed."

The two could only lower their heads avoiding Eli's gaze, downcast as they were in shame.

"It would be a mere matter to have you two banished from here, as befits one who has abandoned it. However, both the nature of your crime and your stature have landed this country into too great a mess for you to be merely absolved with that. But, as the heir to the throne, I still need you, Umi. I will let you live but I expect no more objections to my proposals"

"How about-"

"Don't ask something you already know the answer to, will you?"

"You aren't actually going to!"

"The Tokei has deemed your so-called visit an act of espionage and are now demanding her head. She'll be hanged at the town square within the week's end. She may be a general of great talent and valor who has served us well in battle, but that's different from how she has acted outside that, and the fact that her behavior having run this kingdom to the ground."

"Honoka, please say something!"

"Kotori, please take care of Umi when I'm gone."

"I will."

"Well there you have it. Whether it be now or ten years ago, with all your might and valor, you still couldn't protect anyone precious to you – or to me."

"We're finally getting what we both want, aren't we Eli?

"…"

"Perhaps I'll greet her once I'm on the other side, N-."

"Take her away."

"-mi, that is."

~x~

Try as they might, both Kotori and Umi couldn't form a plan to avoid Honoka's execution. Savvy to their affections for her, Eli had kept them away from the capital with royal duties, sending her best soldiers to guard the two should they plot something.

"I'm sorry, Umi-chan. I let my emotions get the better of me. You would have made off by now and had your happy ending if not for me."

"No, Kotori, I'm the one who should be sorry. We should have noticed your feelings, but we just left you there all alone."

"But, I still brought you to two to this. Honoka's gonna die!"

"Eli was right, we shouldn't have done it. Our love was a mere bout of passion."

"And yet it is that love between you two that I have come to both respect… and even envy. I would have done the same if I were in your position."

"…"

"Much as we'd like to save her, we can only be there to watch her die."

"Indeed, you can only be there." The captain of the royal guard utters as she moves toward the two.

"Maki?"

"Don't even think about it. Plot as you might, Eli's far too shrews an opponent for even you two to pull off something."

~x~

The week's end saw the two brought back to the capital. As Maki had told them, getting Honoka out proved an impossible feat. The town square was well-guarded by soldiers, with columns of swordsmen keeping a keen eye on anything suspicious on the ground, and rows upon rows of archers circling the rooftops. No amount of smoke and mirrors would have sufficed to attempt a successful breakout from the plaza, let alone an escape from the capital itself. They could do nothing but look on as their dear friend's fate was sealed

"Honoka Kousaka, for your crimes against this kingdom, abduction of the heir to the throne and abandonment of your duty as a defender of this kingdom. You are hereby sentenced to death!"

Eli drank from her cup, watching as Honoka was led to the gallows. Emptying it as Honoka was having the noose tied around her, she contemplated what led her to bring Honoka to this. Of course, she had her sense of duty as the ruler of Otonokizaka, but even so, she cannot help but recognize that Honoka was right as the days passed. It was what they both wanted, their own way of making up their failure for _her_.

She called for her servant to fill the cup once more when she felt it. A searing sensation burned in her chest, and blood soon gushed out. She realized she had been stabbed by her servant and turned to attack, only to fall from her throne. The guards immediately grasped the situation and the servant was soon peppered with arrows, preventing any escape.

Honoka, Umi, and Kotori all rushed to Eli's side to aid her, with Maki soon arriving, but it was too late.

"Umi-chan, Kotori-chan, help me bring Eli back to the palace, her wound can be properly treated there."

"You're too late for that", the dying servant spoke, "As I told _them_ , I made doubly sure. The wine she drank was poisoned." Maki could only respond by furiously and repeatedly stabbing the servant with her sword, with Umi and Kotori attempting to stop her.

"Honoka…"

"Eli-chan?"

"You were right. We both wanted this. I'll just be going there ahead of you."

"I'm sorry."

"No, I should be. We lost _her_ as a result of our weaknesses, and yet I only kept on blaming you. Please take care of Umi for me."

"Yes, your Highness."

"I suppose it's time for me greet _her_ once more."

They could do nothing but grieve as the life slowly yet finally ebbed out of Eli's life.

~x~

Honoka, Umi, and Kotori attempted to collect themselves as preparations were made for Eli's funeral. They met at the throne room with Maki to discuss their response.

"So the Tokei managed to infiltrate our court, huh? They must have been planning this for a long time."

"They've really done it, haven't they? Either Honoka gets executed and the kingdom's left without a capable commander to defend from their invasion or Eli dies and the kingdom's left for dead with our neighbours circling us like vultures."

"It didn't even have to be your escape to land us in this situation. They would have probably asked the same demand should their border 'agreements' with them fail to take effect."

"Such devious scheming can be, indeed, only the work of that damn Toudou diplomat. We've already lost before we even began."

"It's not yet over."

"Honoka?"

"Our kingdom's not yet dead."

"Honoka?"

"Umi, Kotori, recall your troops. We're going to be need every single one of them. The Tokei will attack with full force once they learn that I still have my head with me. Maki, double the guards at the posts around the palace. We do not need any more deaths tonight. I'll be at the barracks should any of you need me"

"What do you intend to do, Honoka?"

"Prepare for war."


End file.
